Skip to main content

Supermoon to outshine meteor showers this week

By Greg Redfern

WASHINGTON – It is a busy time in the sky as a supermoon Sunday will compete with the ongoing Perseid meteor shower for top billing with sky watchers.

This Sunday the full moon will be 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than normal full moons and it will be the closest the moon will be to the Earth for the entire year of 2014. This is the second in a series of three consecutive supermoons, the last one occurred on July 12 and the next one will be on Sept. 9. Last year also had three consecutive supermoons.

The moon is full at 2:09 p.m. EDT and reaches perigee, or its closest point to the Earth for the current lunar cycle, just 26 minutes earlier. At its closest approach the moon will be 221,765 miles away, just shy of the closest it can ever be to Earth – 221,457 miles. Being at perigee is the key to a full moon being a “supermoon” – a non-astronomical term that has now become part of our culture. Simply put a supermoon is really a full moon at perigee.

It will be difficult to visually judge the larger apparent size of this Sunday’s supermoon but I think moon lovers like me can detect the greater brightness. Just go outside after the sun sets and face the southeast to see the moon rise. This is when the full moon is at its best. Mariners and beachgoers will also have higher and lower than normal tides due to the moon being closer to Earth.

Supermoon Sunday and the following nights, when the almost full moon is in the sky all night, will dampen this year’s Perseid meteor shower. Each year during August the cometary debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle intersects the Earth and produces a wonderful display of falling or shooting stars – meteors. These bits of comet dust, about the size of a grain of sand, hit our atmosphere at 140,000 miles per hour!

With a dark sky site and no moon present, sky watchers can count on seeing up to 100 meteors an hour. This year the bright and almost full moon will reduce the number to a predicted 30 to 40 per hour. These will be bright meteors and the Perseids produce a lot of fireballs – meteors that are brighter than Venus. NASA’s meteor monitoring stations have reported a number of bright Perseid fireballs in the past few days.

The Perseids will peak on the night of Aug. 12 to 13 but it is worthwhile to get out any clear night after 11 p.m. local time and especially the hours before dawn to look for them. The best place to watch the Perseids is somewhere free of city lights that offers a clear view of the whole sky. Being comfortable is key to watching the shower.

I will give my next “Let’s Talk About Space at Shenandoah National Park” presentation on the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater at 9 p.m., Aug. 12 at Big Meadows Lodge, Shenandoah National Park. Afterwards, if it is clear, we will meet at Big Meadows to watch the Perseids.

If it is cloudy where you live on the night of Aug, 12, you can still enjoy the Perseids by tuning in to NASA’s live Internet chat and live stream (weather permitting).

You can also listen in via space radar to hear the Perseids, a favorite activity of mine, anytime up until the shower ends sometime after Aug. 13. This includes day time hours as well.

Here’s to clear skies and hope to see you at Big Meadows!

Follow me on Twitter @SkyGuyinVa and my daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. You can email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote